The Significance of Dhu al-Hijjah in Islamic History
Dhu al-Hijjah, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar, is a period filled with profound spiritual significance and historical importance. This sacred month is renowned for hosting some of the most crucial events in Islamic history, making it a time of reflection, devotion, and celebration for Muslims around the globe.
One of the most prominent features of Dhu al-Hijjah is the observance of the Hajj pilgrimage. This annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, representing a pivotal moment of spiritual renewal and unity for Muslims. During Hajj, millions of Muslims from all corners of the world gather to perform rituals that date back to the time of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham).
The month also features Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice. This major Islamic holiday commemorates the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail in obedience to Allah’s command. Eid al-Adha is marked by special prayers, the act of Qurbani (sacrifice of an animal), and communal feasts, emphasizing themes of sacrifice, charity, and gratitude.
Another significant event in Dhu al-Hijjah is Eid al-Ghadir, celebrated on the 18th of the month. Eid al-Ghadir commemorates the day when the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) declared Imam Ali (PBUH) as his successor at Ghadir Khumm. This event is particularly significant for Muslims, as it highlights the leadership and spiritual authority of Imam Ali.
The Day of Mubahala, observed on the 24th of Dhu al-Hijjah, is another important occasion. This day marks the event when the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) engaged in a mubahala (mutual invocation of God’s curse on the liars) with the Christians of Najran, to prove the truth of his message. This event underscores the importance of standing firm in one’s faith and the divine validation of the Prophet’s mission.
Dhu al-Hijjah is also a time for Muslims to engage in additional acts of worship, such as fasting, prayer, and charity, especially during the first ten days, which are considered among the holiest days of the year.
Occasion | Day | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Anniversary of the marriage of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) to Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) | 1st Dhu al-Hijjah | 2 AH |
| Removal of Abu Bakr from delivering the verses of Bara’ah, and appointment of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) in his place | 1st Dhu al-Hijjah | 9 AH |
| Birth of Ibn Abi al-Hadid; poet, literary figure, and commentator on Nahj al-Balagha | 1st Dhu al-Hijjah | 586 AH |
| The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) entering Mecca during the Farewell Pilgrimage | 4th Dhu al-Hijjah | 10 AH |
| Battle of Sawiq; one of the battles of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) against the polytheists who attacked Medina | 5th Dhu al-Hijjah | 2 AH |
| Martyrdom of Imam al-Jawad (peace be upon him); the ninth Imam of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) by the order of al-Mu’tasim al-Abbasi (according to a narration) | 5th Dhu al-Hijjah | 220 AH |
| Death of al-Mansur al-Dawaniqi; the second Abbasid Caliph who ordered the poisoning of Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) | 6th Dhu al-Hijjah | 158 AH |
| Martyrdom of Imam al-Jawad (peace be upon him), the ninth Imam of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) by the order of al-Mu’tasim al-Abbasi (according to a narration) | 6th Dhu al-Hijjah | 220 AH |
| Birth of Ibrahim, son of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) | 7th Dhu al-Hijjah | 8 AH |
| Death of Tawus al-Yamani; interpreter, reciter, jurist, narrator, and companion of Imam al-Sajjad (peace be upon him) | 7th Dhu al-Hijjah | 106 AH |
| Martyrdom of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him); the fifth Imam of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) | 7th Dhu al-Hijjah | 114 AH |
| Imprisonment of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) in Basra | 7th Dhu al-Hijjah | 179 AH |
| Conspiracy to assassinate Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon him) in Mecca | 8th Dhu al-Hijjah | 60 AH |
| Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon him) heads from Mecca towards Iraq | 8th Dhu al-Hijjah | 60 AH |
| Uprising of Muslim ibn Aqeel in Kufa | 8th Dhu al-Hijjah | 60 AH |
| Confrontation between the Abbasid army and the army of Sahib Fakh and his martyrdom with his companions | 8th Dhu al-Hijjah | 169 AH |
| Attack of the Qarmatians on Mecca and the pilgrims, and theft of the Black Stone | 8th Dhu al-Hijjah | 317 AH |
| Day of Arafah | 9th Dhu al-Hijjah | — |
| Acceptance of the repentance of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) (according to some narrations) | 9th Dhu al-Hijjah | — |
| Incident of closing the doors of the medina masjid; one of the virtues of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) as his was the only not closed. | 9th Dhu al-Hijjah | — |
| Martyrdom of Muslim ibn Aqeel and Hani ibn Urwa in Kufa by the order of Ibn Ziyad | 9th Dhu al-Hijjah | 60 AH |
| Occasion | Day | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Eid al-Adha; one of the major Islamic holidays, on this day Allah commanded Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail (peace be upon them) | 10th Dhu al-Hijjah | — |
| Martyrdom of Abdullah al-Mahd ibn al-Hasan al-Muthanna and a group of the sons of Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) | 10th Dhu al-Hijjah | 145 AH |
| Death of Mirza Jawad al-Maliki al-Tabrizi; mystic, ethics teacher, and author of the book “Al-Muraqabat” | 11th Dhu al-Hijjah | 1344 AH |
| Miracle of the splitting of the moon by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) | 13th Dhu al-Hijjah | 5th year of Prophethood |
| Signing of the second treaty of Aqabah with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) by the people of Yathrib in Mecca | 13th Dhu al-Hijjah | 13th year of Prophethood |
| Birth of Sayyid Ali al-Qadhi al-Tabataba’i; mystic, scholar, and ethics teacher in the Najaf seminary | 13th Dhu al-Hijjah | 1282 AH |
| Death of Sheikh Muhammad Taqi al-Shirazi, known as Mirza the Second; a Marja and political leader during Iraq’s independence movement against British occupation | 13th Dhu al-Hijjah | 1338 AH |
| Death of Sheikh Agha Buzurg al-Tehrani; jurist, narrator, historian, and author of “Al-Dhari’ah”; the most important encyclopedia of the works and biographies of the followers of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) | 13th Dhu al-Hijjah | 1389 AH |
| Granting of Fadak to Lady al-Zahra (peace be upon her) by the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) after the revelation of the verse “And give the relative his right | 14th Dhu al-Hijjah | 7 AH |
| The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) leaving Mecca towards Medina during the Farewell Pilgrimage | 14th Dhu al-Hijjah | 10 AH |
| Death of Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani; historian, literary figure, and author of “Maqatil al-Talibiyyin” and “Al-Aghani” | 14th Dhu al-Hijjah | 356 AH |
| Birth of Imam al-Hadi; the tenth Imam of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) | 15th Dhu al-Hijjah | 212 AH |
| End of the flood of Noah (peace be upon him) | 18th Dhu al-Hijjah | — |
| The fire of Nimrod turns cold and safe for Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) (according to some narrations) | 18th Dhu al-Hijjah | — |
| Revelation of the verse of proclamation regarding the succession and guardianship of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) | 18th Dhu al-Hijjah | 10 AH |
| Eid al-Ghadir; the greatest Eid of the Muslims, where the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) appointed the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) as his successor and Imam by the command of Allah | 18th Dhu al-Hijjah | 10 AH |
| Revelation of the verse of completion concerning the event of Ghadir and the guardianship of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) | 18th Dhu al-Hijjah | 10 AH |
| Pledge of allegiance to the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) as Caliph | 18th Dhu al-Hijjah | 35 AH |
| Birth of Sheikh Murtadha al-Ansari; jurist, and one of the most famous teachers of jurisprudence and principles in the Najaf seminary, author of “Farā’id al-Usul” and “al-Makasib” | 18th Dhu al-Hijjah | 1214 AH |
| Wahhabi attack on Karbala, killing followers of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and destroying and looting the shrine of Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon him) | 18th Dhu al-Hijjah | 1216 AH |
| Birth of Imam al-Kadhim (peace be upon him); the seventh Imam of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) (according to a narration) | 20th Dhu al-Hijjah | 128 AH |
| Death of al-Akhund al-Khurasani; a Marja, and author of “Kifayat al-Usul” | 20th Dhu al-Hijjah | 1329 AH |
| Death of Sayyid Abdul Karim al-Ridhawi al-Kashmiri; jurist, mystic, and teacher in the seminaries of Najaf and Qom | 20th Dhu al-Hijjah | 1419 AH |
| Martyrdom of Maytham al-Tammar; companion of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba, and Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon them) | 22nd Dhu al-Hijjah | 60 AH |
| Death of Sheikh Abbas al-Qummi; narrator, historian, preacher, and author of “Mafatih al-Jinan”; the most famous book of supplications for the followers of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) | 22nd Dhu al-Hijjah | 1359 AH |
| Mubahala of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) with the Christians of Najran | 24th Dhu al-Hijjah | 9 AH |
| Revelation of the verse of Mubahala and the verse of purification in the virtue of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) | 24th Dhu al-Hijjah | 9 AH |
| The incident of giving the ring as charity by the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) during his bowing in prayer | 24th Dhu al-Hijjah | 10/9 AH |
| Revelation of Surah al-Insan concerning the Commander of the Faithful, Lady al-Zahra, and al-Hasanain (peace be upon them) | 25th Dhu al-Hijjah | — |
| Acceptance of the Caliphate by the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) after the murder of Uthman | 25th Dhu al-Hijjah | 35 AH |
| Completion of the book “Tafsir Majma’ al-Bayan | 25th Dhu al-Hijjah | 1398 AH |
| Incident of al-Harrah, which ended with the suppression and killing of the people of Medina by the army of Yazid ibn Muawiya | 27th Dhu al-Hijjah | 63 AH |
| Birth of Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him); the tenth Imam of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) (according to a narration) | 27th Dhu al-Hijjah | 212 AH |
| Death of Ali ibn Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him); one of the narrators of the hadiths of the Imams (peace be upon them) | 27th Dhu al-Hijjah | 233 AH |
| The caravan of Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon him) reaches the place of ‘Udhayb al-Hijanat near Kufa | 28th Dhu al-Hijjah | 60 AH |
| Death of Mulla Hadi al-Sabzewari; philosopher, sage, mystic, and poet during the Qajar era | 28th Dhu al-Hijjah | 1289 AH |
| Death of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari; one of the great companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), and one of the loyal followers of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) | — Dhu al-Hijjah | 32 AH |
| Death of Zurara ibn A’yun; one of the companions of consensus, a close companion of Imams al-Baqir and al-Sadiq (peace be upon them), and one of the great jurists and theologians. | — Dhu al-Hijjah | 148 AH |